Theme: Television viewing habits and types of programmes
Lexical area: Programme types, drama, soap operas, cartoons, comedy etc.
Instructions for language assistants in Italics
Classroom materials
Introduction
This lesson is about television and gets students to think about their viewing habits. Task 1 is a wordsearch of types of TV programmes. Task 2 asks students to think about what they watched on TV for the last week and to comment on it. Task 3 is a class survey to find out who in the class is a telly addict. Task 4 is a reading text from the Trend UK website called ‘Cops and Docs’ about the increase of drama on British television based around hospitals and police stations. Task 5 offers students provocative statements about television for them to discuss in groups and Task 6 asks students to work in groups to produce a short sketch based on a TV programme that the other students should watch and guess what it is.
1. Types of TV programmes
This is to introduce or revise vocabulary for different types of TV programmes.
Wordsearch solution:
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| G | A | R | D | E | N | I | N | G |
Task 1 Types of TV programmes
See if you can find the fourteen different types of TV programmes in the wordsearch.
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- CARTOONS
- CHATSHOWS
- COOKERY
- DIY
- DOCUMENTARIES
- DRAMA
- FILMS
- GAMESHOWS
- GARDENING
- MUSIC
- NEWS
- QUIZZES
- REALITYSHOWS
- SOAPOPERAS
Now think of one programme on television in your country that fits into each category.
2. What did you watch on TV last week?
This is an activity to get students to think about what they actually watch on TV and to comment on it. If they claim they can’t remember as far back as a week ago just ask them to do the last couple of days. If you’re not familiar with the programmes the students are talking about, use it as an ‘information gap’ style task and get them to explain them to you with their views.
Task 2 What did you watch on TV last week?
- Try to remember what TV programmes you watched last week and write them in the 1st column.
- What type of programme is it? Write the programme type in the 2nd column.
- Did you enjoy the programmes? Write your comments in the last column.
| Day |
Programme |
Type of Programme |
Comments |
| Monday |
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| Tuesday |
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| Wednesday |
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| Thursday |
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| Friday |
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| Saturday |
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| Sunday |
- Now compare your viewing habits with the rest of the class.
3. Are you a telly addict? Class survey
Put students in groups to ask each other these questions about their viewing habits. Before they start they should each write their own question in the blank space in the table. When they have completed the task use the results to compare viewing habits and decide as a group how you classify a ‘telly addict’.
Task 3 Are you a telly addict? Class survey
- Write the names of five of your classmates in the table.
- Write one extra question in the blank space.
- Ask your classmates the questions about television and make a note of their answers.
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How much TV do you watch on a normal weekday / weekend? |
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| Do you record your favourite programmes if you're not at home? |
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| How many televisions do you have at home? |
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| Do you eat meals while watching TV? |
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| Do you have satellite / cable TV at home? |
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| Do you watch the adverts in the middle of programmes? |
- Look at the results of your survey.
- Do you think your classmates are ‘telly addicts’?
4. Cop and Doc! Reading activity
This is a reading task for intermediate level groups and above. Before reading the text ask the following question.
Do you know any British television series? If so, which ones and what do you think of them?
Answers:
1) True 2) False 3) True 4) False 5) False
Task 4 Cop and Doc! Reading activity
Before you read the text check you understand the following words and phrases. Use a dictionary or ask your teacher.
| English | My Language |
English |
My Language |
| cop |
thrills |
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| doc | issues |
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| tried and tested |
at risk |
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| rely on |
poke fun at |
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| audience |
a wide range |
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| trend |
crime ridden streets |
Now read the text and decide if the statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
1. The number of TV channels is increasing
2. There are lots of new and unusual programmes
3. TV dramas set in hospitals and police stations have been popular for a long time.
4. All the new shows are the same
5. There are no American TV shows on British television
Cop and Doc!
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Tried and tested
British television has a reputation for the variety and the quality of its programming. However, as the number of television channels increases, and it becomes harder to find an audience for their shows, programme makers are increasingly relying on tried and tested formats. By doing this they know that they have more chance of finding an audience than they would through more innovative or unusual television. A good example of this trend is the focus on television shows about the worlds of medicine and crime prevention.
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Thrills and no risk
Shows set in hospitals, police stations and the crime-ridden streets have for many years been popular with viewers. This is not surprising: they deal with issues that are important to us all, such as justice and the meaning of life; they can show us the thrills of a dangerous world without putting us at risk, and they open up the possibility of all sorts of fascinating interpersonal relationships. However, over the last ten years, the number of ‘Cop and Doc’ shows being shown on television has increased dramatically, and now make up a far greater percentage of the total amount of television shown.
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Challenging drama
This does not mean, however, that all of these shows are the same. Viewers can watch hourly or half-hourly ‘soap operas’ set in hospitals and police stations (Doctors, Casualty, The Bill). There is a wide range of challenging drama about all aspects of the medical and justice worlds (recent examples being Spooks and Bodies). We can even watch comedies which poke fun at the very factors which make these shows so compelling (The Thin Blue Line, The Green Wing)! In addition, the UK along with the rest of the world’s viewing public is lucky enough to be able to watch the very best ‘Cop and Doc’ shows from the United States, giving us another perspective on how drama and comedy can be drawn from these very interesting worlds.
This text originally appeared on the Trend UK website.
- Are there many programmes about police stations or hospitals in your country?
- Do you like these series? Why? Why not?
5. Opinion circle
This is a speaking activity for higher levels. Students sit in groups of four or five in a circle. They take turns to take a quote (cut up and give each group a set of six quotes beforehand) and read it to the group. The student who reads the quote had to pretend to believe in what they’re saying. The others should argue with them or agree with them depending on whether or not they actually agree or not. If this is too complicated students can simply discuss the statements in pairs or groups.
Task 5 Opinion circle
Discuss these statements in your groups. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Television is an excellent way to learn about what’s happening in the rest of the world.
- Watching TV is a waste of time.
- Television is bad for your health.
- I could easily live without television.
- Television is a tool for brainwashing people.
- Television is a great way to relax.
6. Guess the programme
Students work together to produce a short sketch of a TV programme. Set a time limit (2 or 3 minutes) and as students are preparing, monitor carefully and offer help with vocabulary.
Task 6 Guess the programme
- Work in groups of three or four.
- Choose a TV programme that most people in the class will know.
- Decide who will represent each character.
- Work together to write a short sketch of the programme.
- Do the sketch for the rest of the group and see if they can guess which programme it is.
Internet links
This is a great site for creating word puzzles for your students. I used this site to produce the wordsearch in this lesson.
http://www.puzzlemaker.com/WordSearchSetupForm.html
This link takes you to the home page of the BBC TV series Casualty. It is based in a hospital casualty department.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/casualty/
This link takes you to the home page of a popular BBC TV programme about spys and crime.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/spooks/
This link take you to the home page of a popular Channel 4 Tv series based in a hospital.
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/green_wing/
This link takes you to the LearnEnglish archive and has many more TV related games, articles and stories.
http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/archive/
By Jo Budden
| Attachment | Size |
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| cops_docs.pdf | 84.89 KB |
